The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-05-04
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Charming Music
Mrs. Alice ]. Shaw, who is variously de-
scribed as 1'the whistler" ''the girl whistler"
and THE lady whistler" is new musical
celebrity as well as musical celebrity in a
new line. She is not only one Of those rare
women who can quicker up their lips and
whistle good, honest, non-squeaky whis-
tie, but she is also inspired by an ambition
10 make whistling an art. Mrs. Shaw is not
restricted to her talent in this direction for
powers of attraction. Her personal charms
are many and are equaled by her graces Of
manner. She has pretty twin daughters Of
FIVE and strangely enough both are natural
whistlers, already able to carry an air with
surprising volume of sound. Mrs. Shaw is
the daughter of Mr.. W. w. Horton, and was
born in Elmira though New Yorker by
adoption and long residence. She doesn't
know to what nationality her musical streak
is attributable, as on both sides her family is
of American birth for so many generations
back that the old-country ancestors are lost
in the past. But the taste is there, and Mrs.
Shaw is thorough musician. She has al
ways played the piano well, and has q good
voice, though it has never been brought UNI
der cultivation. So when she determined to
make the plunge and come before the public
as a woman whistler she did it with the en-
thusiasm of pioneer in a new art She
thinks that it can be made as much of an art
as singing. She whistles as solo singer
sings with an orchestral or piano accompani-
ment, and only on the expiration of the
breath. She would no more think of whis-
Ting while inhaling than singer would of
using the voice while taking breath. The
result is the same perfect control of express
sion and the same accuracy of what may
properly be called phrasing as in the trained
use of the voice. In the case of ordinarily
accomplished whistlers, the trick of keeping
up the sound while drawing breath through
the puckered lips is practiced. Some of them
find that they can easily get half tone
difference between the inhalation whistle
and that Of exhalation. 1t is similar to the
operation Of the harmoniea where the tone
differs ss the performer blows out or draws
in upon the peculiar instrument.
Mrs. Shaw accompanies this careful atten-
ton to method in her whistling by equally
great care in her selection of music. She econ
fines herself to the rendering of pieces of a
high musical order, and considers that the
cultivation of good musical taste may be
accomplished as well by the training of the
lips as of the voice. Any one who is natur-
ally musical can be taught to whistle with
an effect that few suspect the possibilities of.
But there are few who can hope to rival Mrs.
Shaw in the development of natural gift
to such rare perfection as musical novelty.
The rich tones that issue from her pursed-up
lips without any artificial aid or instrument
are full, strong, sharp, and clear as bugle
call, or soft sweet, plaintive, pure, and bird
like at her pleasure, according to the senti-
ment of the piece or passage she is render
ing. The power of the piccolo. softened from
the sharpness and shrillness of that instru-
ment, distinguishes her forte whistling, and
in the softer passages the sweeter tones of a
cornet-a-piston seem combined with the mel
OdiOus brepze9 that have stolen through an